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Watersheds

A watershed is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. The easiest way to describe the network of rivers and lakes on a small-scale map is to show the watersheds.
In Canada, there is a detailed hierarchy of watersheds, ranging from the largest (drainage into oceans and their equivalents), down to the smallest ramification. Canada's ocean watersheds are the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
View more details on Watersheds - Open Government.

Hydrogeological Regions

Hydrogeological regions are areas in which the properties of sub-surface water, or groundwater, are broadly similar in geology, climate and topography. Hydrogeology is the branch of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of water beneath the earth's surface. This map shows Canada's nine hydrogeological regions. View more details on Hydrogeological Regions - Open Government.

Distribution of Freshwater - Glaciers and Icefields

Glaciers and icefields are huge masses of ice, formed on land by the compaction and re-crystallization of snow, that move very slowly down slopes, or move outward due to their own weight. In Canada, an estimated area of 200,000 square kilometres, or about 2% of the country's area is covered by glaciers and icefields. A huge quantity of freshwater is frozen in the polar ice caps and in high mountain glaciers. Glaciers and icefields are found in Western Cordillera and the mountains in the eastern Arctic. At present there are no reliable figures on the total number of glaciers in Canada. Glaciers exert a direct influence on the hydrologic cycle by slowing the passage of water through the cycle. Like groundwater, glaciers are excellent natural storehouses of water. View more details on Distribution of Freshwater - Glaciers and Icefields - Open Government.

Wetland Regions

Contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada is a map that classifies Canada into forty wetland regions with similar ecological characteristics. The tables give temperature and other characteristics of each region. View more details on Wetland Regions - Open Government.

Streamflow

Contained within the 5th Edition (1995) of the Atlas of Canada is a sheet with four maps. The first map shows the average annual river flow for major rivers and has adjacent graphs showing average monthly runoff for 14 selected rivers. The map is coloured by oceanic drainage areas and also shows major drainage divides and diversions. The other three maps are 1:30 000 000 inset maps of Canada: average annual 7-day low flow, average annual peak flow, and average annual runoff. Summary table for drainage areas. View more details on Streamflow - Open Government.

Seasonal Runoff

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the amount of seasonal runoff. The map shows periods of maximum and minimum streamflow. The coloured discs indicate the month of maximum streamflow at gauging stations and dots within these discs indicate the period when minimum flow occurs. View more details on Seasonal Runoff - Open Government.

Runoff

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows average annual runoff patterns. There is a second map, accompanied by bar graphs for selected gauging stations of representive rivers, which expresses the volume of flow by months as percentages of the annual average volume. View more details on Runoff - Open Government.

Potential Evapotranspiration

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a set of three maps relating the effects and dependency of vegetation on environmental variables. One map shows the average annual potential evapotranspiration in inches from ground and plant surfaces for areas where there is a continuous vegetation cover and sufficient soil moisture for plant use. The second map shows the average annual water deficit in inches where, during parts of the growing season, soil moisture is insufficient to supply enough moisture for theoretically full plant growth. The last map shows the accumulated number of degree-days. For the purpose of this map degree-days are calculated from the base temperature of 42 degrees F/5.6 degrees C. The growing season is defined on this map as the number of days with an average temperature over 42 degrees F/5.6 degrees C. View more details on Potential Evapotranspiration - Open Government.

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A watershed is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. The easiest way to describe the network of rivers and lakes on a small-scale map is to show the watersheds.

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Created by the Canadian Hydropower Association and Canadian Geographic, the Canadian Hydropower Interactive Map allows you to explore the awesome power of Canada's hydro infrastructure. You can see the location of almost every Canadian hydro dam and generating station, what utility runs them, their size and the transmission network that connects them to you.

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Ontario is allowing several bottled water companies to take up to 7.6 million litres of groundwater per day on expired permits, as it gives them time to amend renewal applications in light of new rules.

Premier Kathleen Wynne last year imposed a two-year moratorium on new and expanded permits to take water for bottling, effective Jan. 1, 2017. That came after bottled water giant Nestlé purchased a well near Guelph that the small but fast-growing township of Wellington Centre wanted for its future drinking water supply.

As of Aug. 1, water bottlers also have to pay $503.71 for every million litres of groundwater they take - up from the previous $3.71 fee.

During the two-year moratorium, the government is giving bottled water companies a long lead time to amend any renewal applications so they comply with new technical requirements that came into effect in the spring.

Nine expired water taking permits - which in some cases have been expired for more than a year - from seven bottled water companies, remain in effect until the government rules on their applications. That could take 18 months, according to an industry representative.

The maximum allowable amounts of those permits is 7.6 million litres per day, or 2.7 billion litres per year. The environment ministry notes, however, that those companies took less than half of their maximum amounts last year, for a total of 1.1 billion litres.

Environment Minister Chris Ballard said the government has placed a lot of new demands on the water bottlers, so they need time to comply.

"What we're asking companies to do now is exceptionally robust," he said. "What we're looking at is the science of taking
water and this takes a fair amount of research on our part. It takes research on the part of the proponents."

Nestlé's two permits for Aberfoyle and Erin water taking locations are by far the largest, with a total maximum of 4.7 million litres allowed to be extracted per day. It is essential that Nestlé ensures it is fully compliant with the new rules, as one of the largest bottled water companies and likely among the first to have its application posted, the company said.

"The new guidelines include additional scientific evaluations, an increased level of transparency for water bottlers to publicly share more data and reporting, as well as undertake robust consultation with community stakeholders including First Nations," Nestlé Waters Canada's natural resources manager, Andreanne Simard, said in a statement.

"We have made a public commitment to continue to fulfil all of these requirements as protecting Ontario's water resources is of critical importance to us."

But advocacy group Wellington Water Watchers is taking issue with the length of time the government is allowing companies to take water on expired permits for, as well as the process itself, arguing the companies should at least be more limited in their water taking amounts during this period of reassessment.

"It's really just an open-ended process," said chair Mike Nagy. "That's similar to as if I'm driving with an expired licence... I don't think they'd let me drive around indefinitely saying, 'Well, I'll get to the new regulations at some point and I'll submit my licence renewal for my car driving licence or my sticker for my car when I get to it and see how it fits in."

New Democrat Peter Tabuns disagrees with the government's approach.

"If they're expired they're expired," he said. "It does seem like an extremely long time. If they have rules in place...operate by the rules."

Progressive Conservative Ted Arnott, who represents the riding of Wellington-Halton Hills, is critical of the Liberal government for "trying to punt" the issue past the 2018 election, with a two-year moratorium, but said the companies shouldn't just be cut off.

"It's reasonable to allow the companies that have permits to continue to operate and not just shut them down," he said. "The effect of cancelling their permits outright would shut down their operations entirely, I would assume. I don't think that would be fair to anyone."

The water bottling companies are committed to meeting all of the new requirements, said the executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association. But she questioned why water bottlers face such stringent new rules, a moratorium on new permits and increased fees.

"The industry uses, of all permit holders, 0.2 per cent of all groundwater," said Elizabeth Griswold. "There is no question that we are being unfairly singled out in this regulation. What really concerns us is that the intent presented to the public by the government of Ontario is that this is to protect groundwater resources. I'm sorry, how do you protect groundwater resources by going after 0.2 per cent of the water being used?"

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Ontario allowing bottled water companies to take 7.6M litres a day on expired permits | CBC News

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Ontario is allowing several bottled water companies to take up to 7.6 million litres of groundwater per day on expired permits, as it gives them time to amend renewal applications in light of new rules. Premier Kathleen Wynne last year imposed a two-year moratorium on new and expanded permits to take water for bottling, effective Jan.

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Agriculture industry relies on the Water Industry

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Agriculture and Food | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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History, politics, arts, science & more: the Canadian Encyclopedia is your reference on Canada. Articles, timelines & resources for teachers, students & public.

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Water pollution occurs when discharges of energy or materials degrade the quality of water for other users, including both humans and wildlife. Pollution can affect inland waters such as lakes, rivers and groundwater, as well as coastal marine waters.

Processing Plant St. John's Canada.

Water pollution occurs when discharges of energy or materials degrade the quality of water for other users, including both humans and wildlife. Pollution can affect inland waters such as lakes , rivers and groundwater, as well as coastal marine waters. In a sense, pollution is ultimately caused by population growth and industrialization, but it can nevertheless be prevented if appropriate controls are in place to reduce the discharge of waste materials. In Canada, the worst cases of water pollution occur in southern parts of the country, where most people live and most agricultural and industrial activities occur. However, remote and less populated areas may also be affected by pollution from resource-based industries, such as oil-sand and metal-mining developments and pulp mills.

Types of Pollutants

Water pollution can be classified according to the nature of the causal substances, the sources releasing them and the water bodies into which they are discharged. The intensity of pollution is measured by the concentration of pollutants in the water and their effects on its uses. Six categories of pollutants are recognized. They are: pathogens, biochemical oxygen demand, nutrients, toxic materials, acidification and heat.

Pathogens are disease-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa, usually originating from the disposal of improperly treated sewage of humans or livestock. As pathogen numbers increase, so does the risk to the health of people and animals that might use the water for drinking or bathing.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is created by organic wastes that are decaying and thereby depleting the oxygen content of water. Major sources of the organic wastes are pulp and paper and sewage from municipalities and agricultural sources. If the amount of dissolved oxygen is depressed close to zero, fish and other aquatic animals die. In addition, anaerobic (i.e., occurring without oxygen) decomposition generates noxious gases such as hydrogen sulphide, which can be toxic to wildlife.

Nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, enrich waters and accelerate the aging of lakes and streams, a process known as eutrophication. The resulting growth of algae and plants can degrade conditions for other uses, such as for drinking water and recreational activities. Large amounts of algal and plant biomass can also depress oxygen levels when they decompose. Severe eutrophication can also ruin the aquatic habitat for wildlife. The major sources of nutrients in Canada are runoff from agricultural and municipal areas and improperly treated sewage.

Toxic Materials

Toxic materials in drinking water can affect the health of people, as well as aquatic organisms living in affected water bodies. Toxicants (i.e. toxic materials from human-made sources) include metals (e.g., lead, mercury), petroleum and other hydrocarbons, organochlorines (e.g., DDT, PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzopyrene), and phthalates (e.g., dibutyl phthalate). They originate from many sources, often as a result of the large quantities of chemicals used in industries and urban areas. In some cases, mixtures of toxic materials can be toxic even if their individual concentrations are below levels thought to be toxic. Pollutants associated with spills of petroleum are toxic and may also smother aquatic organisms and cause the death of birds by destroying the waterproofing properties of their plumage.

Acidification

Acidification, particularly of lakes and rivers, is caused by run-off from precipitation (rain and snow) of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by industries and automobiles (see acid rain). It may also be caused when certain waste rocks containing sulphide minerals, associated with the mining of coal and metals, are exposed to the atmosphere. This results in bacteria using the sulphide as a source of energy, producing acidity as a waste product of their metabolism.

The discharge of waste industrial heat into water can cause warmer water temperatures that many aquatic species cannot tolerate. It may also contribute to low oxygen concentrations by speeding up the rate of decomposition of organic matter. The discharges are often associated with coal- or nuclear-fuelled power plants, and sometimes with large factories. Electric power plants, for example, might withdraw water from a nearby water body to use for cooling in the plant and then return the heated water to the same water body.

Control of Pollution

Canada's rich endowment of fresh and marine waters is threatened by regional shortages (e.g., in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta) and by pollution. Although pollution from pathogens, toxicants, BOD, nutrients, acidification and waste heat may be prevented and relatively easily reversed, eutrophication and oil spills are more difficult, and acidification and toxicity may be irreversible.

The most cost-effective measures for controlling pollution depend on the particular sources and the damage being caused. Pathogens are usually controlled by the disinfection (often using chlorine or ozone and sometimes filtration) of municipal or agricultural sewage wastes, or of water intended for domestic use (see water treatment). BOD can be reduced by treating organic wastes from municipal and agricultural sources to decrease the amount of organic matter (and the oxygen demand) before the effluent is discharged into an aquatic habitat. Releases of phosphorus and nitrogen are controlled by regulating certain products (e.g., by requiring phosphorus-free detergents), by land-use regulations (e.g., by limiting the use of agricultural fertilizer), and by installing specialized treatment processes for municipal and agricultural wastewaters.

Toxicants are best controlled by preventing them from being dumped into aquatic environments. Different toxicants present particular regulatory possibilities and problems. For example, the manufacturing and use of DDT and PCBs has been banned in Canada, and systems are now being required in industrial processes to prevent the dumping of certain metals and other potentially toxic substances. Some toxicants have been replaced by nontoxic substitutes, such as the replacement of cyanide rinses in electroplating. Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment processes also help to isolate many toxic materials within sludges, which can then be treated or dumped in a secure places landfill. Acidification can be prevented by controlling discharges of sulphur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, which has been done, although not to the degree that large-scale acidification is no longer a problem. The dumping of waste heat into waterbodies can be prevented by using special cooling towers and ponds that dissipate the energy into the atmosphere.

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Water pollution occurs when discharges of energy or materials degrade the quality of water for other users, including both humans and wildlife. Pollution can affect inland waters such as lakes, rivers and groundwater, as well as coastal marine waters. Processing Plant St. John's Canada.

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Lake Ontario provides drinking water to nearly half of Ontario residents.

Of the 12.8 million people who live in the province, fully 49.2 per cent, or 6.3 million people, draw their drinking water from the massive lake. It's by far the most drawn upon source of water to sustain Ontario's growing population.

But on the other end of the spectrum are dozens of communities that don't have a municipal drinking water system at all. A total of 42 Ontario communities are listed by the province, with a combined population of nearly 140,000 people, that don't have a municipal drinking water system.

Data provided by the Province of Ontario's new open data site outlines drinking water sources for 204 municipalities in the province. That data, combined with population figures provided by Statistics Canada, show how many Canadians draw upon which water sources to survive.
The top five drinking water sources in the province are:

Lake Ontario: 6.3 million people

Ottawa River: 943,000 people

Groundwater spread across the province: 657,000 people

Lake Erie, Lake Huron: 366,000 people

Detroit River: 284,000 people

The bottom five drinking water sources in the province are:

Bay Lake: 387 people

Lost lake: 476 people

Killarney Channel: 505 people

St Joseph's Channel: 566 people

Tukanee Lake: 607 people

HOW SAFE IS YOUR DRINKING WATER?
Each water source is tested several times a year. The latest testing data is only available for 2010-2011, but most municipalities in Ontario score surprisingly well. Each water system is assigned two scores: An overall percentage of tests that meet provincial standards, and a separate "inspection rating."

The Inspection Rating is a weighted score based on the likelihood a failed test will result in serious consequences like public disease. A lower score means more serious infractions were measured. A higher score means cleaner water.

Check out our interactive map and see just how safe your water is among these 144 municipalities.

Click each dot to see the municipality name, population, water system and ratings.
WHERE DOES YOUR DRINKING WATER COME FROM?
Most Ontarians get their drinking water from surface water like lakes and rivers, but groundwater is also common. Check out our interactive map to find your municipality and see where your drinking water comes from. Water source data provided by the Province of Ontario. Population data provided by Statistics Canada.

Click each dot to see the municipality name, population and water system.
NO MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER SYSTEM
Up to 140,000 Ontarians, mostly in small communities, are without a municipal drinking water system at all. While many of them are in the Northern reaches of the province, a solid portion are also in the well-populated southern areas.

According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, "not everyone in Ontario get their drinking water from a municipal system."

"We have several categories of other systems, but generally they would include private wells, private systems at facilities or businesses serving the public (i.e. a motel or restaurant on its own well), systems serving a residential development (ie a year-round mobile home park or subdivision that doesn't have municipal servicing)," she said.

Here are the 42 municipalities that don't have a municipally run water system licensed by the province.

Click each dot to see the municipality name, population and water system.

Read my author profile on Google+

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Where does Ontario's drinking water come from, and how safe is it?

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Lake Ontario provides drinking water to nearly half of Ontario residents. Of the 12.8 million people who live in the province, fully 49.2 per cent, or 6.3 million people, draw their drinking water from the massive lake. It's by far the most drawn upon source of water to sustain Ontario's growing population.

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Watersheds

A watershed is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. The easiest way to describe the network of rivers and lakes on a small-scale map is to show the watersheds.
In Canada, there is a detailed hierarchy of watersheds, ranging from the largest (drainage into oceans and their equivalents), down to the smallest ramification. Canada's ocean watersheds are the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
View more details on Watersheds - Open Government.

Hydrogeological Regions

Hydrogeological regions are areas in which the properties of sub-surface water, or groundwater, are broadly similar in geology, climate and topography. Hydrogeology is the branch of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of water beneath the earth's surface. This map shows Canada's nine hydrogeological regions. View more details on Hydrogeological Regions - Open Government.

Distribution of Freshwater - Glaciers and Icefields

Glaciers and icefields are huge masses of ice, formed on land by the compaction and re-crystallization of snow, that move very slowly down slopes, or move outward due to their own weight. In Canada, an estimated area of 200,000 square kilometres, or about 2% of the country's area is covered by glaciers and icefields. A huge quantity of freshwater is frozen in the polar ice caps and in high mountain glaciers. Glaciers and icefields are found in Western Cordillera and the mountains in the eastern Arctic. At present there are no reliable figures on the total number of glaciers in Canada. Glaciers exert a direct influence on the hydrologic cycle by slowing the passage of water through the cycle. Like groundwater, glaciers are excellent natural storehouses of water. View more details on Distribution of Freshwater - Glaciers and Icefields - Open Government.

Wetland Regions

Contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada is a map that classifies Canada into forty wetland regions with similar ecological characteristics. The tables give temperature and other characteristics of each region. View more details on Wetland Regions - Open Government.

Streamflow

Contained within the 5th Edition (1995) of the Atlas of Canada is a sheet with four maps. The first map shows the average annual river flow for major rivers and has adjacent graphs showing average monthly runoff for 14 selected rivers. The map is coloured by oceanic drainage areas and also shows major drainage divides and diversions. The other three maps are 1:30 000 000 inset maps of Canada: average annual 7-day low flow, average annual peak flow, and average annual runoff. Summary table for drainage areas. View more details on Streamflow - Open Government.

Seasonal Runoff

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the amount of seasonal runoff. The map shows periods of maximum and minimum streamflow. The coloured discs indicate the month of maximum streamflow at gauging stations and dots within these discs indicate the period when minimum flow occurs. View more details on Seasonal Runoff - Open Government.

Runoff

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows average annual runoff patterns. There is a second map, accompanied by bar graphs for selected gauging stations of representive rivers, which expresses the volume of flow by months as percentages of the annual average volume. View more details on Runoff - Open Government.

Potential Evapotranspiration

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a set of three maps relating the effects and dependency of vegetation on environmental variables. One map shows the average annual potential evapotranspiration in inches from ground and plant surfaces for areas where there is a continuous vegetation cover and sufficient soil moisture for plant use. The second map shows the average annual water deficit in inches where, during parts of the growing season, soil moisture is insufficient to supply enough moisture for theoretically full plant growth. The last map shows the accumulated number of degree-days. For the purpose of this map degree-days are calculated from the base temperature of 42 degrees F/5.6 degrees C. The growing season is defined on this map as the number of days with an average temperature over 42 degrees F/5.6 degrees C. View more details on Potential Evapotranspiration - Open Government.

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A watershed is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. The easiest way to describe the network of rivers and lakes on a small-scale map is to show the watersheds.